Minnesota DNR proposes walleye bag limit change

Minnesota anglers could soon be reeling in fewer walleyes. The state's Department of Natural Resources is proposing to change the statewide walleye bag limit from six fish to four.

In the past, the downtime between the end of ice fishing and the walleye opener was somewhat slow at Bemidji's Northwoods Bait and Tackle. But in recent years, owner Will Pappenfus has seen a change.

"Guys are getting their families out. They are staying out there. It's busy," said Pappenfus.

And as anglers stop by his store, talk of walleyes inevitably comes up. Nowadays, Pappenfus said it's not so much about the size of the fish, it's about how many they can take.

"I would say it's 50-50. I would say guys that are more of the older fishermen, that's just the way they've fished the last few years that's what they want to do. They want to fill their freezer, they want to keep their limit, that's what they were told," said Pappenfus.

But he and some of the younger anglers have a different take.

"Cutting it down a little bit can help some of these lakes that are hurting just a little bit, and rebound back," he said.

"I think doing four is the right thing to do," said Kyle Bahr, an angler from Brainerd. "I'm not going out and keeping my six walleyes. By myself, I keep one. I make some potatoes with it. And I'm a happy man."

The DNR said public discussion for changing the walleye limit has been going on for 10 years. They said a recent survey of thousands of licensed anglers shows 48% are in favor of a change, while 23% oppose it.

The idea behind the four-walleye limit, which some lakes have already adopted, is to be more conservative as Minnesota's waterways evolve.

"The six-fish limit in Minnesota has been in place since 1956, and there is a lot that has changed since then," said Marc Bacigalupi, regional fisheries supervisor for the DNR.

WCCO caught up with Bacigalupi on Lake Bemidji, where the limit is still six walleyes with no protected slot, meaning anglers can keep any walleye they catch.

"What we are seeing is zebra mussels, in particular, are messing with the food chain of walleyes. That can affect the early survival of walleyes," said Bacigalupi.

In addition to invasive species, Bacigalupi said both ecology and technology have come into play. In particular, forward-facing sonar is making fishermen more effective than ever.

"We can see those anglers with increased catch rates. Overall, we haven't seen a huge increase in catches and people keeping those fish at all times, but the potential is definitely there," he said.

Gary Barnard worked as a DNR fisheries manager for 43 years. Now retired, he spends a lot of time on Lake Bemidji. Barnard believes there isn't real evidence yet to suggest walleyes are in danger, which is why he's against a regulation change and wants the daily limit to stay at six.

"The thing is, it used to take a good biological reason to make a limit change like this. And when you don't have that, you are just taking opportunity away from anglers for no good reason," said Barnard. "And that's the main reason I'm opposed to it."

The DNR said climate change is also a reason for the proposal, with studies showing future lake conditions aren't favorable for walleyes compared to other fish species.

The proposal is going through the legal process right now and will be reviewed by a judge this summer.